Sid the Science Kid
Sid the Science Kid is a preschool television series produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with KCET Los Angeles. The show features real-time computer-generated puppets, using the Henson Digital Performance System. Production began in the fall of 2007 with 42 half-hour episodes of Sid the Science Kid having been ordered. The series debuted on PBS Kids on September 1, 2008,The Jim Henson Company and KCET in Production on Sid the Science Kid for PBS Kids with a two-year on-air commitment.Brandolution named licensing agent for US and Canada for The Jim Henson Company's newest preschool series "Sid the Science Kid" The main character in the show is Sid, an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principals and why things work the way they do. He tries to answer questions and solve problems with the help of his classmates (May, Gerald and Gabriela), his teacher (Susie), his parents (Mort, and Alice), his Grandma and even his baby brother (Zeke). Two DVDs of the show, The Bug Club and Change Happens, were released in August 2009Sid the Science Kid Comes to DVD.; with more DVDs following in 2009 and 2010.The Muppet Newsflash: Sid the Science Kid Merchandise August 13, 2009 In August 2009, the first ten episodes of season one were added to The iTunes Store. The series ended on March 25, 2013 after two seasons and 68 episodes. Content and Structure The conceptual content of Sid is based in national science learning standards, cognitive learning theory, and on the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science.Sid the Science Kid - Educational Philosophy Each week's episodes are built around a single scientific theme or concept, such as scientific tools and concepts, changes and transformation, the senses, and health. The Friday shows are designed to review, reinforce and summarize the central concept of the week. One recurring segment, "Good Laughternoon", features the kids opening panels in a brightly-colored playground structure and telling jokes. The format and set borrow heavily from the closing "joke wall" of Rolan and Martin's Laugh-In, but for a pre-school audience. Other recurring segment include The Sid Survey, Rug Time, The Super Fab Lab, Susie sings, and Sid's "super-duper-schmoper" big idea. On rare occasions, Sid invites a friend over, mainly Gabriela, to play with him, such as in the episodes The Rolie Polie, My Ice Pops!, A Brush With Teeth, and Home Tweet Home. History and Development Sid the Science Kid was developed by Halle Stanford and Jim Lewis. The initial concept was to create a show to teach science concepts to pre-school kids. The series went into production in the fall of 2007. Jim Lewis discussed his role in the creation of Sid the Science Kid in a 2008 interview, stating: The original working title for the series was "What's the Big Idea?" and the central character, Sid, was originally named Josh.Henson Prepares to Ask "What's the Big Idea?" Sid's personality was originally based on executive producer Halle Stanford's son Max.TV Guide Channel: Sid the Science Kid The initial conceptual designs for the characters were completed by Elanna Allen, while Creature Shop Creative Supervisor Peter Brooke ensured that the original concepts and designs were translated into the 3D world of the Henson Digital Performance Studio. Brooke sculpted detailed maquettes of the characters to help translate the designs into three dimentions. Cast Image:Sidthekid2.jpg| Drew Massey Misty Rosas File:May.jpg| Julianne Buescher Dana Michael Woods File:Gerald-sid.jpg| Victor Yerrid Alon Williams Image:Gabriela.jpg| Alice Dinnean John Munro Cameron File:SidsTeacher.jpg| Donna Kimball Sonya Leslie File:Mort.JPG| Victor Yerrid John Munro Cameron File:Alice.JPG| Alice Dinnean Sonya Leslie File:Zeke.png| Donna Kimball Alon Williams File:Grandma.JPG| Julianne Buescher Dana Michael Woods Image:philbert.png| Bruce Lanoil Daisy the dog Episodes Awards and Honors In 2009, Sid the Science Kid was awarded the Parents' Choice Award and was called "Recommended Television for the spring of 2009" by the organization. In May 2009, Sid the Science Kid ws nominated at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in two categories - "Outstanding Children's Animated Program" and "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title & Graphic Design". The series was nominated by the Television Critics Association for a TCA Award in "Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming." The winners will be announced August 1, 2009. Crew For full credits, see the ''Sid the Science Kid'' credits on the Henson Digital Performance System Wiki. *Executive Producers: Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford, Bradley Zweig *Producer: Chris Plourde *Directors: Brian Henson, Hugh Martin, Allan Trautman, Katy Garretson, Dean Gordon, David Gumpel *Head Writer: Bradley Zweig *Writers: Bradley Zweig, Jim Lewis, Eric Shaw, Corey Powell, Joe Purdy, Craig Bartlett, Will Shepard, Elise Allen *Story Editors: Craig Bartlett, Joe Purdy *Character Designs: Ellanna Allen, Peter Brooke Merchandise For more coverage, see the ''Sid the Science Kid'' merchandise category on the Henson Digital Performance System Wiki. Albums Music from the series was firstreleased on May 4,2009 as an Amazon.com exclusive. Sid the Science Kid: Soundtrack - Volume 1 features 18 original songs from the first half of the series. The albums was released both on CD and for digital download. ;Album titles : *Sid the Science Kid: Soundtrack - Volume 1 Videos DVDs of the series are being released by the Jim Henson Company and NCircle Entertainment. Single-disc collections of four similar themed episodes are being released. Starting in August 2009, full episodes of Sid the Science Kid became available for purchase and downloading via the iTunes Store. ;DVD titles *The Bug Club *Change Happens *Weather Kid Sid *Felling Good Inside and Out *The Ruler of Thumb *Gizmos and Gadgets *Sense-Ational Adventures *Sid's Sing Along *Sid's Sense-ational Adventures *Going Going Green Books HarperCollins Children's Books and The Jim Henson Company are releasing a series of books based on the program. The first titles hit book stores in December 2009.The Muppet Newsflash: Sid the Science Kid Merchandise August 13, 2009 ;Book titles : *Why Are My Shoes Shrinking? *Why Did My Ice Pop Melt? *A Cavity Is a Hole in Your Tooth *Everybody, Move Your Feet! *Why Can't I Have Cake For Dinner? *The Trouble with Germs *What's That Smell? Toys In February 2009 The Jim Henson Company appointed Hasbro, Inc. the master toy and game licensee for Sid the Science Kid. The four-year license grants Hasbro the rights to introduce an array of Sid the Science Kid products. Hasbro's line of Sid the Science Kid toys and games is slated to debut at retailers in the fall of 2009.Henson Compant Press Release The first set of toys, a series of mini plus dolls and the Talkin' Sid plush doll were released in November 2009. *Gotta Know Microphone *Talking Sid the Science Kid doll (with bonus DVD) *Mini plush dolls iPhone App In fall 2009 the Jim Henson Company released an iPhone application of Sid's microphone. The apps design and audio effects replicate the functions of the microphone Sid has on the show. On the iPhone, users can record their own voices, or other sounds, for up to 20 seconds and then play them back. The Sid's Microphone app was developed by Stevo Brock from Sunset Magicwerks in partnership with PBS and The Jim Henson Company. The app was released as a free download. File:iPhone-sid.jpg| Sid's Microphone app Movie On March 26, 2012, The Jim Henson Company announced a Sid The Science Kid movie featuring Christopher Lloyd.Muppet Central - Henson announces "Sid the Science Kid: The Movie" in 3-D It was released on March 2013. The movie also served as the series finale. Sources External Links * Official Website * Henson.com - "Sid the Science Kid" * The Big Cartoon Database episode guide __NOWYSIWYG__ Category:Henson Company TV Shows Category:Animated TV Shows